Salted caramel ice cream

If you're thinking that salted caramel ice cream sounds a bit odd then get with the program! Everyone knows that it's well trendy....maybe even a little bit 2009.

It is really really disgustingly delicious, salty gooood, caramel gooood, ice cream goooood. What's not to like?

I topped it with shards of salted caramel, they look super-cute don't they.

For the ice-cream......serves4

• 150g caster sugar
• 225ml double cream
• 150ml milk
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 tsp Maldon sea salt

In a pan put 120g of the sugar and 40 ml of water. Boil until the sugar melts and turns a golden caramel colour (5-10mins).

While the sugar is boiling whisk the egg yolks and 30g caster sugar in a large heat-proof bowl until pale and thick.

Once your caramel is ready add the cream + milk to the caramel pan then bring back to the boil. When it's boiling i.e. bubbling up the sides of the pan, get your glamourous assistant to vigorously whisk the eggs mixture, whilst they're whisking quickly pour the bubbling caramel mix onto the eggs. Whisk for another 30 seconds. Then pour the mix into a wide, shallow container to cool.

Once cool churn in your ice-cream machine (I just got a Cuisinart one from Butlers Choice, yaay for me!) or use the still-freezing method (booo for you). Once churned to thick consistency you can store it in the freezer. We had it with shortbread, roasted apples and the salted caramel shards

Lunch for Wee Jan

Not wanting to enjoy a weekend off without doing just a little bit of cooking I got roped into doing a lunch party for my ma. She helps me out loads for work so it's a fair exchange.

On the menu was: a side of hot smoked salmon from hot Tim at Island Seafare in Port St Mary, a boned out leg of lamb with garlic from Mark at Teares in Ramsey, a basil and tomato frittata made by me. For side dishes we had some nice, simple summery options of roasted new potatoes, gujurathi green beans, green salad and loads of different bread s from Liz @ The Good Loaf.

For puds: White chocolate and raspberry tart (another special commision from Liz), meringues and loads of summer fruit

I have one bit of advice from that day.......don't put a glass plate in the oven for more than 5 minutes. Due to my tireless experimenting I have discovered that it will explode quite soon after that.....oops

IOM Today come to school

Rachel (shorthand expert), Annabelle (fishatarian), Mike (missed dessert!) and Gary (queenie virgin) from IOM Newspapers came to the school today to photo and film me teaching them a couple of recipes. They requested local + seasonal....so that's what they got. Who says I can't do as I'm told?!

I'll post links to the video and photos as soon as they're online.

On the menu:

1. Queenie stir-fry with spring onion, ginger and tiny carrots
2. Raspberry shortbread stack with blackcurrant puree

And for once I am actually going to provide you with proper recipes......here ya go...

Queenie stir-fry with spring onion and baby carrots - Serves 4

1 tbsp Ellerslie Farm rapeseed oil - from Pentti on 472717
1" root ginger finely sliced
2 cloves garlic finely sliced
1 bunch baby Manx carrots - From Ken on 880370
2 bunches Manx spring onions finely sliced - from Bry Radcliffe
24 Manx Queenies - from Desmonds in Ramsey
50ml soy sauce
50ml water
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Heat the oil in a wok or large pan, add the garlic, ginger, carrots and spring onion and fry for a minute or two until softened. Then add the queenies and cook for a further 2 minutes until they have browned slightly, add the soy and water, taste and more water or soy if required then sprinkle over the sesame seeds. Eat immediately.

Delicate shortbread biscuits - Makes 25

170g white plain flour - Laxey Glen Mills
110g butter - IOM Creameries
55g sugar

Put the flour and sugar into a large bowl. Rub in the butter. Gather the mixture together and knead lightly. Roll out to 7mm thick. Cut into rounds with a 6cm cutter. Bake in the oven at 180˚C for 8-15 minutes depending on thickness. These biscuits burn very easily so keep a close eye on them.

Serve layered with whipped double cream, soft fruit and fruit coulis. Thank you for Ken Maynard for the lovely fruit too, blackcurrants and raspberries. Thank you to the sparrows for leaving me some!

Apple and champagne sorbet

I have never had champagne sorbet before, it's not really served in Ramsey :o( but it should be! I'll definitely be teaching a version of this on my Easy Summer Entertaining class so you can get some bubbles in your life.

The sorbet was accompanied by roasted fruit and ladies fingers biscuits. Yes we made the biscuits, I don't think Rob would let us use the packet ones somehow. Rob was our teacher/chef for the last three days, he was very good, with loads of top tips. His story about his knife and fingerless Fernando winning goriest story of the week. Well done Rob!

Mmmmille feuille

Technically this isn't a mille feuille, it is a trois feuille but I don't think we need to worry too much about that. I've been feeling very French the last couple of weeks, perhaps due to the high levels of salt, butter and cream coursing through my veins.

Anyway, where were we? I'd usually do this with plain shortbread and strawberries in the summer but this is a lovely variation to use when berries are out of season. Shame on you people buying soft fruit out of season (very close relatives of mine, mentioning no names W** J**, bad food karma for you).

Cardamon and Banana Raita

Fancy a light delicately flavoured dessert? Simply combine the following ingredients:

200ml natural yoghurt - I like YeoValley the best
1 banana, sliced
Handful raisins (soak these in water for 10 mins to really plump them up)
Squeeze of honey
6 cardamon pods - take the seeds out and grind to a fine powder
Handful of almonds - toast then smash into pieces

Throw the whole lot in a big bowl, stir stir stir. Eat eat eat

Mini Fruit Pavlovas

Don't these look gorgeous! Yes I know not only can I cook but I'm pretty modest too. We served these at a birthday party at the weekend. Michelle (my dictator friend) was waitressing and almost got rugby tackled to the ground by the guests going for the last ones of these little babies.

Notes from Thailand - mango lassi

November 2008 involved a 3 week trip to Thailand to see Stokesy's Ma, lucky Helene, who lives in Chiang Mai in the north west.


So who wants to hear about what we ate on the trip??? And see some food pics???? Course you do! I'll post them up in intervals, don't want too much excitement all at once now do we.




First up..........a cool refreshing mango lassi. Drunk at regular intervals throughout the trip. Perfectly ripe mango, cow juice, pinch of salt.......aaah. I took all these pics on my camera phone so the quality isn't great, but you get the general idea. This particular lassi was from a little Indian restaurant in Chiang Mai, they did great thalis there too. Dinner for the 3 of us was about £8. I miss Thailand :o(